Mining possibilities and constructing growth

As a company positively building its presence in the mining and construction industries, Scania South Africa knew that Bauma Conexpo Africa was the place to be. GAVIN MYERS spoke to its dedicated mining and construction managers to find out more.

Theuns Naude, segment manager construction/public and special, and Reuben Govender, segment manager mining, are determined to achieve a similar goal in their respective areas of expertise: to show that Scania has what it takes to gatecrash the construction/mining party, as it has done in the long-haul segment.

And, by the looks of things, the company has all diffs locked and crawler gears engaged as it navigates its way up these rocky segments.

“We play an important role in the customer’s business. Showing value is vital,” Govender begins.

“There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution in this game. Everything we do is purpose built for each individual customer,” Naude adds.

The men were joined by Anders Friberg, GM sales and export, who reiterates the company’s determination. “In 2016 Scania held 3,2-percent market share in these segments. We are targeting more than 30 percent by 2020. We have the right products and solutions to achieve this,” he says confidently.

At Bauma the company displayed numerous models applicable to these segments. In reality, the dedicated Scania construction and mining teams will visit the operations of each customer and assess every aspect and requirement of the operation before spec’ing the vehicles.

“All customers have unique operations, which is why we need to understand their operations to tailor-make vehicle solutions,” Naude continues.

“This allows us to ensure the vehicles are capable of delivering in all aspects of their performance,” Govender adds.

Friberg points out, however, that engineering the right vehicle for the job is only the starting point – it is the wide array of Scania solutions that will boost the company’s edge.

“Mining and construction customers require short lead times and minimal down time. To achieve this, the full Scania solution is tailored to their needs: finance packages, repair and maintenance contracts, telematics monitoring, and on-site driver training and servicing,” he notes, adding the company goes even further…

“Our approved bodybuilders have a supply of complete tippers and mixers to be mounted to vehicles – some even have access to our internal system to see when chassis are being built, so they can prepare themselves and cut lead times.

With a generally positive mood prevailing in the local mining and construction segments, and heightened activity in the southern African region, it would seem that Scania South Africa has perfectly timed its ramp up of activities in the local construction and mining segments.

My life has always revolved around anything with wheels and an engine. It doesn’t matter if its an old banger, the latest hot-hatch or a fancy 4×4 – any excuse is a good excuse to take it for a cruise, spank it at the track or go bundu-bashing (the mud-and-rocks-side-of-a-mountain type, not the exploring-Joburg’s-pavements type). Otherwise, chances are you’ll find me lying underneath one of my beloved toys or with my head buried in its engine bay, tinkering away.

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FOCUS on Transport and Logistics is South Africa’s leading transport magazine. Established more than 36 years ago and covering transport by road, air, sea and rail, it is by far the most widely read magazine in its sector.